Embodiments described herein relate generally to alternative fuels, chemicals, and engineered fuel feedstocks, and in particular, to systems and methods for producing an engineered fuel feedstock having significantly reduced chlorine content. The engineered fuel feedstock may include additives to control emissions, prevent corrosion, and/or improve operational performance during combustion or gasification applications. The feedstocks described herein include at least one component of processed municipal solid waste, an additive, and optionally other components.
Sources of fossil fuels useful for heating, transportation, and the production of chemicals as well as petrochemicals are becoming increasingly scarce and costly. Industries such as those producing energy and petrochemicals are actively searching for cost-effective engineered fuel feedstocks for use in generating those products and many others. Additionally, due to the ever increasing costs of fossil fuels, transportation costs for moving engineered fuel feedstocks for production of energy and petrochemicals is rapidly escalating.
These energy and petrochemical producing industries, and others, have relied on the use of fossil fuels, such as coal, oil and natural gas, for use in combustion and gasification processes for the production of energy, for heating and electricity, and the generation of synthesis gas used for the downstream production of chemicals and liquid fuels, as well as an energy source for turbines.
One potentially significant source of feedstock for production of an engineered fuel is solid waste. Solid waste, such as municipal solid waste (MSW), is typically disposed of in landfills or used in combustion processes to generate heat and/or steam for use in turbines. The drawbacks accompanying combustion include the production of pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, particulates and products of chlorine that are damaging to the environment. In particular, incomplete combustion of chlorinated plastics is especially hazardous since it can lead to the formation of dioxins. To reduce the formation of dioxins, it is desirable to remove the chlorine from plastics prior to combustion.
Thus, there is a need for alternative fuel feedstocks that burn cleanly and efficiently, and that can be used for the production of energy and/or chemicals. There is, at the same time, a need for waste management systems that implement methods for reducing green house gas emissions of waste in utilizing such wastes. In particular, there is a need for improved systems and methods for sorting waste material and reclaiming a resource value from components of the waste material. By harnessing and using the energy content contained in waste, it is possible to reduce green house gas emissions and/or otherwise reduce emissions generated during the processing of wastes thereby effectively using the waste generated by commercial and residential consumers.